Age: 47
female
Rutina Wesley (born February 1, 1979) is an American film, stage, and television actress best known for her role as Tara Thornton on the HBO series True Blood and Nova Bordelon on OWN’s Queen Sugar. Wesley was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her father, Ivery Wheeler, is a professional tap dancer, and her mother, Cassandra Wesley, was a showgirl. She attended high school at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. She studied dance at Simba Studios and the West Las Vegas Arts Center. While at the Las Vegas Academy, Wesley missed some auditions for college training programs. She finally decided to attend the University of Evansville in Indiana. After Wesley earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance in 2001, her grandmother suggested that she do a nursing course to have a practical fallback job, but Wesley insisted on pursuing her artistic education. She enrolled at the Juilliard School in 2001 and graduated in May 2005 (Group 34). Her studies included a summer spent at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In December 2006, Wesley was featured in David Hare's Broadway play The Vertical Hour. In 2007, Wesley also appeared in The Public Theater production of In Darfur by playwright Winter Miller, co-starring Heather Raffo and Aaron Lohr, among others. Wesley had a minor role in the 2005 film Hitch, which was edited out in the final cut. In 2007, she made her on-screen debut as the main character in the film How She Move, from British director Ian Iqbal Rashid. The character Raya Green, who enters a step-dancing competition to secure funds for her education, was inspired by Tony Manero, portrayed by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Prior to the shooting of the film, Wesley underwent a five-week dance rehearsal period. Portraying a woman of Jamaican descent, she also took dialect coaching for the role. Wesley auditioned for the role Tara Thornton in the HBO series True Blood in 2007 and secured the part after creator Alan Ball chose her because "[she] was the first person who showed [Tara's] vulnerable side" In January 2015, it was announced that Wesley had been cast in a recurring role on the NBC drama series Hannibal. She portrayed Reba McClane, "a blind woman who enters into a relationship with Francis Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage), and helps soothe his murderous urges—at least at first." Wesley appeared as Liza Warner in the fourth season of Arrow. In 2016, Wesley was cast as the lead character Nova Bordelon in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar, produced by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey. In 2023, Wesley portrayed Maria in the HBO series The Last of Us.
Rutina Wesley
Barbara Eileen
for Barbara Eileen in BATMAN (Season 1)
Suggested by thatboyquezo
The year is 2005. Bruce Wayne — Gotham’s golden-star nepo-baby — returns home after years abroad. His arrival instantly becomes the city’s hottest topic, drawing attention from the press and the criminal underworld alike. Meanwhile, newcomer officer James Gordon arrives in Gotham with his daughter; his wife and infant son will follow next month. Hoping to reform the GCPD, he’s paired with his old high-school friend Arnold Flass, who brings him to meet Commissioner Gillian Loeb. Loeb assigns them to investigate mob activity, a task Gordon quickly senses is more complicated than it seems. Bruce, hounded by reporters from the Gotham Gazette, later tells Alfred he should attend a high-profile party to “show face.” There, two mayoral candidates greet him: the current mayor seeking re-election, and an idealistic newcomer, Catherine Law. She asks Bruce to support her humanitarian-focused campaign. Bruce considers it.Back at Wayne Manor — nearly empty after years of neglect — Bruce studies Gotham’s rise in crime over the last five years. Staring at his family photo, he vows, “It’s time to begin what I trained for… but first, I need to understand Gotham.”Elsewhere, Flass drives into a dark alley to meet his dealer, Oswald Cobblepot, as they conduct their secret trade of a drug known as Bliss. When Gordon’s name comes up, Oswald calls him a “true officer” — a threat to their business. He suggests eliminating him and reveals a vault full of weapons.
